Am I the only one that has lost multiple jobs due to an undiagnosed painful illness?

I may be at perfect performance for three or four weeks and then unable to get out of bed for three or four days. I cant always afford to go to the doctor to get a work excuse. Not that it would matter because the several times I did go to the ER they cant diagnose what is wrong with me anyway. (Yet they can send me a bill that I cant afford to pay which is ruining my credit!) So the general diagnosis is, I am looking for a script for pain meds. Its so frustrating. Because first of all, I cant afford the pain meds! Second of all, I take tylenol, aleve, or ibuprofen for my pain and the docs tell me its not good for me at the doses I take. I UNDERSTAND THAT. But what am I supposed to do?

Responses (7)

If you really can't afford it, you should qualify for Medicaid. Get signed up for it right away. And don't take too much of the OTC pain pills unless you want more serious medical problems like liver damage and more. The ObamaCare plan which the Republicans say they will revoke as their #1 priority is a plan that will include far more Americans getting insurance. Think about this at voting time. Also Medicaid could get cut more if Romney gets in.

And as I understand it, The ObamaCare Plan requires people to carry health insurance, it doesnt supply them with it. And I cant afford to pay for health insurance, otherwise, I'd have it already. And beings I go through a lot of jobs, I'm rarely employed at one place long enough to get benefits through my employer. Years ago, when I did have health insurance through my employer, I worked full time, lived at home with my parents and could still barely afford the insurance and the co-payment. Not to mention that if my hours fell below that of "full time" I no longer qualified for the insurance. I worked for over a two weeks (sick as a dog) and finally broke down and went to the ER where they diagnosed me with Pneumonia.

I am currently employed with the School Board. I work part-time in a junior high cafeteria. I only work 4 hours a day, Monday through Friday. As a "part-timer" I dont qualify for benefits. And since school started on August 8, I have missed 7 days of work because of my pain. And thats not counting the number of days that I have just struggled through the pain and worked any way because I HAVE to.

ObamaCare is scheduled to offer health insurance to far more people who can't otherwise afford it. That's what I was talking about. And everyone does need insurance. If you had a serious illness like cancer, you would have astronomical bills that you wouldn't begin to be able to pay for and then wouldn't get medical care. If you really can't work due to your pain, you could also try to get Disability which would give you monthly payments, plus you would truly be eligible for Medicaid. And in 2 years, you would qualify for Medicare. Good luck to you.

I cannot believe you can't medicaid, not welfare, just medicaid. You can't afford insurance, and here that usually means you can get medicaid. Particularly if you have an illness. Did you appeal that denial? I was not aware that they judge whether or not you can work. That's for disability to decide. It should be based on your income. What state do you live in?

I live in Louisiana. I dont qualify for disability because 1. They cant diagnose what is wrong with me and 2. I am still able to work most of the time. My room-mate had three strokes in one year and it took him 8 months after his last stroke to finally start getting disability benefits. AND when the disability started coming in, they cut him off of Medicaid because his income was too high (disability and Navy pension). So now I have to drive him to the VA clinic in New Orleans in order to get his medical care and medication. Our arrangement is: I take care of him, the housework, and his transportation and he pays the rent and utilities. Thank God. lol.

As for my medical bills... you're right. Thank goodness I dont have something as serious as cancer. But thanks to all the problems I've had I have a lot of unpaid medical bills now. I have NEVER owned a credit card, a house, a loan, or even a car (that i had to make payments on) and my credit is FU*KED thanks to my medical bills. I cant even get a credit card now (I tried) and my credit is so bad that I dont qualify for any of them. Just because you are poor does not mean the government comes rushing to your aid.

Sorry Kaismama, I meant that I dont qualify for Medicaid because my income is too high. Let me explain the process and criteria for Medicaid here in Louisiana. I am a single, 36 year old female. My income averages $500 per month. My children live with their father so I have no minor children in the household to claim. I have a 51 year old, single, male room mate who receives disability and a Navy pension. I receive $194 in food stamps per month but neither me or my room mate qualify for Medicaid. His combined income is too high and apparently for a female with no children, so is mine.

Approximately two years ago, my dad and my room mate gave me the money to get full dentures.I have had problems with my teeth all my life. But since I couldnt afford a root canal every time a tooth bothered me (and I couldnt get Medicaid for Dental), I would have a tooth pulled when it was in need of a root canal because it was cheaper.After many extractions, it became hard to eat. So at the age of 34 I started going to a clinic here that bases the amount you pay for services on your income. At the time, I had no income. Since i couldnt prove any income or prove that I had none, my cost for the extractions alone was nearly $2,000. The full set of dentures cost another $350. That was my cost with NO INCOME!!! And I am lucky that the dentist actually gave me dentures. He wanted to make me partials and try to "save" the teeth I had. I told him it would be of no use because i'd eventually have more pulled and have to keep paying for extractions and to make another partial. People think that its easy for low income people to get government assistance. Well, its not true. At least, not on my part.

AN

Anonymous30 Oct 2012

It angers me that people like you who try to get government assistance are called "entitled" if you possibly can. When did we become such a mean country that we can't even take care of our own? Have you tried to talk to a social worker and see what kind of assistance that you do qualify for? Unfortunately it is the state that decides medicaid. Just like FL, where the governor has turned down federal monies to pay for the Affordable Health Care Act, so even though it is the law now, people in FL don't have that "luxury". Our children are the sickest children in the nation, 50th ranking in healthcare.

This is our future! We are putting more and more money into prisons, instead of head start!! Can't they see the big picture? If they would help you with health care, then that is one more tax paying citizen, who works, rather than when they finally do find out what is wrong with you, going onto welfare and public assistance, not paying taxes, but using total government funds. If they would just see that investing in health, invests into the tax base!! I could go on and on. So sorry that you are having such a hard time.

When I applied for Food Stamps, I also applied for Medicaid. The several times that I have been hospitalized, the billing department would interview me and run an application for Medicaid through for me because I had no insurance. I've been denied EVERY time. But I'm going to keep trying. What angers me the most is the people that have insurance (or can afford a private doctor) and have scripts for pain killers when they arent even in pain. They sell their meds or just use them to get high. I know of several people that do this. They get Xanax, Lortab, Valium, etc. Anything they want and as often as twice a month! But someone like me is struggling to make it day to day financially and physically. I would love to work a full time job and get ahead in life (or just break even), get off of Food Stamps, and be a productive citizen. But most of all, I just want to be pain free and healthy.

Here is a link to the Louisiana Medicaid application (you will need Adobe to open it). My past medical bills that I am unable to pay was my only shot to be eligible for Medicaid, and question 19 proves that I dont qualify. Past medical bills must be as recent as 90 days. I guess I'll have to wait until I get hospitalized again and receive that bill in the mail to apply again. lol. SMDH.

Every state handles Medicaid differently. Louisiana is not known as a state that is great with entitlements. That's probably why so many of us thought that you should qualify for it, when in fact you're not.

Hello whyohwhy, & welcome to the site. It would help to answer your question if you had more information about your condition or pain . We are not doctors, but do have a few good RN's on the site. Just taking pain pills doesn't help if you don't have a diagnosis for what is causing your pain. Without further information about your pain, like when, where or how bad it is etc,,, it is hard to answer your question. Whom have you seen for this? It it a joint problem or all over, your back or what? There are so many conditions that could be causing your problem, & so many different treatments you need to give us more info to be able to help you. Also when asking a question on here, you need to make it as a conversation instead of a direct question. On a conversation we can can answer several times. On a direct question we can only answer once, & then just make comments. Just a hint for you if you should decide to repharse your question. Would like to help, but as I said, need more info...

Thank you Mary. I apologize for not being more specific. I experience pain in my rib area, but its not always on the same side and rarely is on both at the same time. I also have pain in the center of my chest. I have had pancreatitis before and can only say that this pain is not comparable to it. I dont have pain in my back, joints, or in my lower sides. Sometimes I have muscle spasms in my chest and sometimes its just a nagging ache that comes and goes a few minutes at a time. Sometimes its a sharp pain that comes and goes every few minutes (kind of like labor pains). Sometimes it doesnt go away at all and that is when I find myself laying in bed for days at a time. I have tried to keep a journal and kept track of the foods i eat, activites, and even bowel movements. But I cant find a common thread to tie this pain to a trigger. We have a local hospital with a clinic and I finally had my first appointment a few weeks ago.

With my income, i qualify for free care but due to the patient/doctor ratio, appointments are few and far between. For example, I called in July to make my first appointment and I was able to be seen in October. Since my visit, they have sent me another appointment in the mail and the earliest available one is in January. Meanwhile, my doctor has ruled out cancer (because I am now putting weight back on after losing about 40 lbs in a matter of 2-3 months last spring), fibromyalgia, and pancreatitis. She did some blood work and all they found so far is that my Potassium level was "borderline low" so I am now taking a Potassium vitamin and on a high Potassium diet. I hate having to take over the counter meds, but I dont have anything else to kill the pain. And even tho I can now go to the ER with my "free care" status, they cant find what is causing the pain and therefore, wont give me anything for pain. It's frustrating that they think i am there to get some pain meds because they cant find anything wrong with me. Or they think that I am there for a doctors excuse for missing work. The last time I went, they assumed it was Pancreatitis again, gave me a shot of Tramadol (which barely helped), then a Percoset, and another Percoset and hour later. All before they even received the results of my bloodwork that showed it wasnt Pancreatitis. Then they asked me if I had someone that could come pick me up and I told them no. They discharged me anyway and let me drive home! So sometimes I go to the ER, but only when its so bad that the Tylenol or Motrin isnt touching the pain and I just cant stand it anymore. Yet, when I go and they ask how long I have been in pain, they chastise me for not having come in sooner! So am i supposed to go EVERY time I have a slight episode and they can treat me like I'm a junky looking for pain meds? I'm just so frustrated because I have lost alot of time away from work and quite a few jobs because of this. Yet I cant prove to anyone that I'm actually in pain because they cant diagnose anything.

So sorry to hear that they can't diagnose you. That would probably preclude you from getting Disability. You really do have a terrible problem. Keep getting the doctor appointments that are free to you and keep pushing for more testing.

AN

Anonymous28 Oct 2012

I would talk to the doctor you are now seeing, & ask if you can come in while you are having this pain. It could be a number of things that is going on with you. The area you discribe could be anywhere from the liver, stomach, to the spleen. It could also be your lungs. Is this the only place you have pain? Are you losing weight or any other symptoms? Pain is one of the hardest diagnoses to make. If it is keeping you bedridden at times there is definately something wrong there.Is there any stomache upset or vomiting with this? Lots of questions, & am sure the doctors have asked you all of this. You could also have a hiatal hernia which can really only be diagnosed with an endoscopy. They can be very painful. Do you get acid reflux at all? This is one sign of a hiatal hernia, & just plain horrible pain. Let us know more about it... Mary

At my appointment I asked her if I could come in as a walk-in while I am experiencing the pain and she told me to go to the ER there at the hospital. Well, I've already told you how they treat me. lol. The only places I am experiencing pain is in the left side of my abdomen, the middle of my chest, and the right side of my abdomen. It doesnt hurt in my back though. Sometimes its just the left, sometimes just the right, sometimes just the middle. Sometimes its more than one. I have tried heartburn meds (but I rarely get acid reflux), anti-gas meds, even laxatives because I wasnt sure what was the cause of the pain and figured something had to work. None of it did.

Sometimes it starts out with nausea (rarely vomitting though) and sometimes it just hits me with pain. I find it hard to eat because sometimes it triggers the spasms or intensifies the pain. So if it doesnt start with nausea, it usually ends with it because I am unable to eat for a couple of days (dont worry, i still take my vitamins and drink things like broth or whatever I can). My doctor asked me about my BM's. They aren't necessarily anything out of the ordinary. One day they may be solid, the next they're not. Some days I dont go and others I go more than once. So its hard to judge anything by that. I am still waiting for the results of the stool sample i gave.When this started happening quite frequently I was losing a lot of weight- quickly. Everyone kept telling me to go to the doctor or the ER ("Easier said than done", i told them). Thats when I made my appointment. Since then, however, I am starting to gain weight back. My doctor asked me about stress possibly being the cause of the weight loss, but honestly I was doing quite well at the time (besides being in pain quite frequently). I'm going to google the Hiatal Hernia you suggested and see if that matches any of my symptoms. Will the pain from that come and go? Or does it hurt all the time? Thank you so much for your help. Please keep the questions and suggestions coming if you can?

AN

Anonymous28 Oct 2012

The hiatal hermia could hurt all the time if it is bad or irritated, or just some of the time, but more of what you are describing sounds almost like gallbladder problems to me. It would be more to the right side altho, or the middle not the left. Eating can really aggravate a gallbladder attack. Sometimes you get gallstones in the gallblbadder & the only thing that can be done about that is to surgically remove the gallbladder. It's not a bad surgery to go through since they do it arthoscopicaly now, but would be expensive. The doctors would need to do an ultrasound on your gallbladder to see if it's got stones. That's the only other thing I can think of unless you have an ulcer in your stomach. That's caused by a bacteria called H-pylori, & can be treated with antibiotics. You might mention the gallbladder to the doctor since it seems it happens & you can't eat at the same time... Mary

AN

Anonymous28 Oct 2012

whyohwhy, has any of these doctors checked your heart at all? Some of what you are describing (I think you are female) sounds a lot like heart problems. Women tend to have different pain than men do with their heart. They can & usually do have nausea & stomach type pain too. You definately need a good work up for sure. Someone is missing something here. The more I read, I see things that could point to a heart problem also... Mary

They did an EKG in the ER once because of the chest pain. It didnt show any signs of a heart attack. Sometimes I wish they would put one of those monitors they put around a pregnant womans belly when she is in labor because the muscle spasms are quite comparable to contractions.

Alot of people have suggested it may be my gallbladder and I asked my doctor at my appointment if it could be something as simple as that. She said its unlikely because of the pain in my left side. However, she did say that if she cant find anything with my blood tests and stool sample, then she would consider doing an ultrasound. I even looked into a gluten allergy and the symptoms of that when this started happening frequently, but the symptoms also dont fit. I'm not gonna lie to anyone about my diet, I drink Coca Cola, coffee with sugar and cream, milk, juice, and beer. I eat junk food (chips, chocolate, sweets, etc), starches (pasta, potatoes, french fries), dairy products (yogurt, cheese, milk, ice cream, sour cream), fruits, vegetables, meat, pork, chicken, seafood, and anything fried. When I kept my food journal I couldnt find anything that triggered my pain.

I think I'd see a gastroenterologist. The fact that it goes from left to right or vice versa make me think colon instead of an organ that stays in one place. Although I have had pain on both sides with it going up my esophagus when I had both peptic and duodenol ulcers, but a gastro would care for that too.

AN

Anonymous29 Oct 2012

I'm starting to think the same thing kaismama. Most people don't realize how high up their colon goes. She could have a good case of IBS going on there too. Definately should see a gastro doc... Mary

Yes it would help to know about the pain. I worked for 35 yrs with pain, without a diagnosis. Its hard and you have to be really stubborn about it. Truly, you should qualify for medicaid. You need your pain worked up and treated right.

Hi whyohwhy, I'm so sorry to hear the frustrating situation that you are in. I suggest that you keep a notebook of every doctor, ER visit, and your book on symptoms etc., to every single appt. that you go. Perhaps someone can see a pattern through all of this, but you have to put it all together. It must be horribly frustrating!! There is someone on this site named Tee who has gone through the exact same situation as you have, losing jobs because of pain, etc. She understands, and I will tell her to write to you. Best wishes, and everyone is right. IF you keep taking all of those OTC's you are only asking for MORE problems health wise. I realize that you have to work, but you want to live too.

One more suggestion!! My hubby is an attorney, and he has had several clients with costochondritis syndrome. When I read him your symptoms, he recognized the problem immediately. It is a disorder of the connective tissue of the ribs. I googled it, and tried to post an article, but the site wouldn't let me. Please google those words, they sound EXACTLY like what you are experiencing. I truly hope that this is the answer to your problem!!

Thank you! I look forward to hearing from Tee. I was keeping a journal of everything, so I guess I will continue to do so. It is terribly frustrating. I know my employers, kids, room mate, and friends get tired of hearing me say, "I cant today. I'm sick" Hell, I'm tired of saying it and missing out on things. If I have a big event coming up (i.e. my daughters' homecoming, a trip out of town, etc) I pray that I wont get sick and have to miss out on it. Many times, I have. (By the way, I have two teen age daughters that live with their dad. THEY qualify for Medicaid, but I don't)I know I cant continue to take OTC's, but I have no choice. The pain is sometimes unbearable. I know the consequences and sometimes its really bad because if I have been unable to eat, I get so nauseous for taking OTC's on an empty stomach. However, I prefer the nausea over the pain.

When I Googled Costochondritis it DOES sound a lot like this may be my problem. I am going to bring it up to my doctor and see if she can use my symptoms and blood tests to diagnose. Also, I have a cousin that was recently diagnosed with Tietze's Syndrome. She was telling me about it when she was diagnosed and all of the symptoms fit with the exception of the redness and swelling. So I felt like I was back at square one. I even researched Fibromyalgia (because I have a sister that was diagnosed with it) but the symptoms didnt fit and it isnt hereditary. I also researched Crohn's disease (because I have two aunts that have it), but not all of the major symptoms fit. But THANK YOU so much for leading me to this Costochondritis. I am definitely going to ask my doctor to look into it.

I immediately thought of costochondritis as I was reading your posts. I dont get on here over the weekend much because i work on the computer M-F so I dont feel like being on here on my days off so I am sorry i hadnt seen your question sooner. Costochondritis is very difficult to diagnose and it is difficult to treat. Anti-inflammatories should help. They can also do injections of cortisone into those inflammed areas which helps the pain. In taking OTC medications, it is VERY important to stick to the recommended dosing. Taking more medication than indicated on the directions is going to lead you into more problems. I know it is difficult when you hurt not to just keep popping pills but those dose limits are there for a reason! Acetaminophen is especially toxic to the liver in high doses. If you take OTCs, take the recommended amounts and no more.

If you have costochondritis, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) will provide you with better relief than acetaminophen (Tylenol) because they are NSAIDS. Acetaminophen does nothing for inflammation. If you do use ibuprofen or especially naproxen, you must NEVER take them on an empty stomach!!! They will eat your stomach lining so take them with a few crackers, milk or something in the stomach. Chostochondritis usually doesnt have nausea as a symptoms though. Another issue I thought about is IBS or irritable bowel syndrome and most of the meds to truly help that are prescription meds other than fiber. It often helps IBS patients to take a daily fiber supplement like Metamucil, Benefiber or Citrucel even if you dont have diarrhea or constipation. The fiber helps to keep you regular. The emergency room is no place to get a diagnosis. Years ago you could go to the ER and they would run all the tests to find out what was wrong with you but in todays medicine they dont do that any longer. The ER is for stabilizing you until you can get regular medical care from another provider. This is not going to really help you-you need to establish yourself with a regular doc. I want to ask you in regards to your Medicaid-why are you reporting your roommates income? Are you married or common law? If you are not married or considered common law (living together for 7 years or longer), his income shouldnt matter in your getting benefits. Do they require you to report his income? If you are not legally tied to him then he is NOT part of your household income, even if you share the bills. If you are common law, perhaps you should "split up" for a bit. If you only make $500 a month, you should qualify for Medicaid. I'm not inclined to believe that "Obamacare" is going to be the boon that everyone seems to think it is going to be. Have you ever been to the DMV? That will be what going to the Dr will be like once the government gets control of healthcare. I dont really want to open up this answer as a political debate though, so everyone that doesnt agree, I dont want to hear about it because it wont change my opinion-this is about whyohwhy-not a debate on the merits of "obamacare". If you can finally get a diagnosis, it will be easier for you to protect your job under FMLA. Some jobs have a provision to where if you have a chronic condition they wont count absences against you if the absence is for this stated chronic condition. It is hard to hold a job when you are sick a lot. I have had the same problems due to my history of migraines and low back pain. I'm going to be looking into this provision at my work. My boss recently mentioned it to me. I truly hope you find some answers and at least get a diagnosis so that you at the very least you know what you are dealing with. Keep fighting for state assistance! Sometimes it is a matter of being persistent. If you have a condition that regularly keeps you from working, it is still a disability. Many people with asthma disabilities arent sick enough not to work every day-the same can be said for many disabilities but first you have to get a diagnosis. Like someone mentioned, keep track of everything in a journal, all tests, all Dr visits, ER visits, etc. Try to see the same Drs as much as you can. Good luck to you-hope you find answers!

Dzoo, I am assuming that since her room mate pays the rent & electric etc,,, they are thnking she can pay for her medical is what is going on there with medicaid. I know here in Illinois that's the way it is. It you make so much & your bills don't take every darn dime of your money, they you are SOL for assisitance... Mary

That is so true! I am gonna call again on Monday and apply for Medicaid- AGAIN. It cant hurt to try. And maybe eventually it will work out. Everyone I keep talking to about this locally is telling me that the hospital clinic I am going to isnt worth crap. And I understand that they are back logged with patients like me. But where am I supposed to go? I cant afford a family doctor that owns his own practice. Especially if they want to send me to specialists to have tests done. Thanks again for all your help everyone. I'll keep you updated if anything happens.

Dear Whyowhy, I'm Tee. Msfino brought your situation to my attention. After reading the various responses, you've already received some very good information. This is my situation: June, 2011, I was rushed to the ER with severe chest pain. After they ruled out my heart, they did a gastric workup. I went to a gastroenterologst. He had me go thru the "egg" test. You eat a radioactive scrambled egg while going thru a scan that takes 90 mins. It should move out of your stomach in less than 10 mins. Nothing moved in my stomach the entire test. Turns out, I have a condition called gastroparesis. My stomach no longer worked. My case was upgraded to the top of the waiting list for a gastric pacemaker to make my stomach work. I had several attacks. I went out of work on FMLA and short term disability. The pacemaker was not available until November 18. My leave ran out and I returned to work 1 month later. In Dec and then Jan, I had 5 more attacks.

I was carried by ambulance to the ER. Despite having doctors notes, I missed 4 days. When I returned the 1st week of Feb, I was fired for attendance issues. Then it was a fight to get unemployment bc of the way my job classified my leaving. Suspicion of misconduct. I've never been fired in my life. I finally won that case. Now I'm fighting for disability.Don't give up trying to find out the answers. Do your research on your symptoms. Its a wealth of info both here on DC and the web. If there is anything I can offer you, please let me know. I hope you find some relief soon.In peace,Tee

sounds like u might have fibromyalgia !!it causes u to hurt all over ur body and causes sleep problems 2!!if i had to work i wouldn't keep a job because by the 3rd time i called in cause i didn't feel like working due to hurting they would fire me!!! first i was told i had cfs,rls,ibs, and all of this is due to the fibromyalgia!!hope u get help soon!!